Warm up with winter soups

In the cold winter months, there’s nothing quite like warming up with a hot bowl of homemade soup. To make it a meal, serve it with some hearty bread and butter, and maybe a simple side salad.

Leftover soup can be frozen for later use. If you have lots left, freezing the soup in a family-sized container will make it easy to reheat and serve on a busy weeknight. Frozen in single-serving containers, a warm meal for one is only minutes away.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree mixture in a blender. May be prepared to this point, cooled quickly and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. To cool quickly, transfer mixture to shallow containers and stir frequently.

Return mixture to pan. Stir in next 6 ingredients (tarragon through celery seed) and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Serve immediately. Serves 4 as a starter.

Return sausage to pan. Stir in remaining ingredients (kale through salt). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 35 - 40 minutes or until barley is tender. Serves 6 to 8.

Cook’s Note: Chorizo is a seasoned, spicy pork sausage used in Spanish and Mexican cooking. Look for it in the deli department of grocery stores.

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

The bulk of the flavour in this soup comes from the ras el hanout — a Moroccan spice blend containing many different spices and having many variations.

1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil

2 cups (500 mL) chopped onions

6 cloves garlic, bruised and chopped

2 tbsp (25 mL) Ras el Hanout (recipe follows)

4 cups (1 L) vegetable broth

3 cans (19 oz/540 mL each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes

1 tsp (5 mL) sugar

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly ground pepper

3 cups (750 mL) baby spinach

Olive oil, optional

Heat 1/4 cup (50 mL) oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp (25 mL) ras el hanout and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in next 6 ingredients (broth through pepper). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, partially puree chickpeas. Alternatively, mash with a potato masher. May be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Bring to a boil before proceeding. Reduce heat to low and add spinach; cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Serve drizzled with additional oil. Serves 6 to 8.

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